Black Urine

Is That... Black Urine?

Black urine can be, in a word,... terrifying. We are used to seeing many
different shades of yellow, but once you notice urine that
is much, much darker than you expect, it is hard not to worry.
As with all urine colors,
there are a variety of causes of black urine, some harmless,
and some much more worrisome. Black urine causes can mainly
be broken down into 3 major
categories: Food Causes, Medicinal Causes, and Health Causes.
After we discuss the basics of these 3 categories, we will
group the causes of black urine by
sections
of ‘Not So Dangerous’, ‘Possibly Dangerous’, and ‘Very
Dangerous’.

Food that Causes Black Urine

Food-related changes to your urine color are typically nothing to worry
about... unless you are eating something you should not be ingesting. To
create black urine through foods, you have usually consumed a fair amount
of some type of food that either contains natural or artificial dyes, or
a food that causes a chemical reaction with your urine creating a dark
brown or black urine color.

Medicines or Chemicals that Cause Black Urine

When
your black urine is not caused by the food you have eaten nor a medical
condition, it usually comes down to medicine you are taking or chemicals
you are using. These medicinal causes of black urine typically range from
Not So Dangerous to Possibly Dangerous. Any of these could be Very Dangerous
just because overdose and prolonged exposure always create great risk.
The medicinal causes list can be quite long. If you can’t remember
if you are taking any of these medications, then... you may just be taking
too many medications. Or you’re buying your meds in unmarked plastic
bags... we’d definitely have to recommend against doing that.

When Health Issues Cause Black Urine

When food causes black urine, you can remove it from your diet. When medicine
or chemicals cause your black urine, many times you can switch medications
or change your exposure to those chemicals to control any risk. When your
black urine is caused by a health issue, you need to do one thing... see
a doctor. It could be stated that health issues don’t so much cause
your urine to turn black as your black urine is a symptom of those health
issues. It’s a warning sign. It lets you know something is just not
quite right. In the case of black urine, it lets you know that perhaps
something is very, very wrong. That being said, there are some health issues
that are minor or even insignificant. And others...well, you know.